Car-truck.



C. T. WBSTLAKB.

GAB. TRUCK.

APBLIUATIOEIILBD ulm, 1913.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

PATE

` OFFICE.

OHARLES T. WESTLAKE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORTO COMMONWEALTH STEEL COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORIORATION OF NEW JERSEY;

Specification of Letters Patent.'

Patented NOV. 187, 1913.

Application filed January 4, 1913. Serial No, 740,194.

A'To all whom t ma concern.'

Be it known tli LAKE, a citizen of the United States, residving at the city of St. Louis, State of Mis- ,5 souri, have inventedv a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Trucks, of which the followin is va full., clear, and exact descri tion, suc as, will enable others skilled inptlhe art to which it appertains to'make l and use the same, reference being had to the A accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciicatlon, inwhich- Figure 1 is a sectional view 'taken transversely through a truck of my improved l'15 construction at a point adjacent to the bolster and showing the three-point swing hangers as contemplated by my invention.l

Fi 2 is'a sectional view similar to Fig. l an showing ,the bolster in the position it assumes when swung laterally with respect to the truckframe, Fig. 3 is a detail sectipn taken approximately on the line 3 3 of Flg. 1. 1 y invention relates generally to improvements' in railway car trucks ofthe lswing motion variety, and more particularly to the swing hangers which depend from the truck frame and carry the spring plank which inf turn supports the springs and truck bolster; As is well known, the feature ofthe lateral or swing motion car truck, and which gives it its name, is the provision therein for la certain amount of lateral swing or movement of the truck bolster relative to the truck frame. .Thus, under normal conditions, and upon straight track, the swing hangers maintain the bolster in a substantially 'horizontal plane and when turning a curve at other thanv a verylow speed, the 40 centrifu al force of the car body will cause the truc bolster to have a certain amount ofmovement laterally of the truck frame and centrifugally of the track curve.

In order to maintain equilibrium of the car under all conditions and-to counteract the centrifugal force of the carbody when lturning a curve at other than very low speed, I propose to arrange swing hangers between the truck frame and truck bolster, which swing hangers are provided with three polnts of pivotal connection, arranged so that the` hangers are comparatively rigid while in normal positions, that is, they will l be slow to'respond to lateral forces applied to the truck bolster and at the same time at I, CHARLEs' T. WEST- when swung into abnormal positions to v caus the car body to travel in a curved path u and also to partially rotate about an imaginary axis. This feature of causing. `a car body to partially rotate about an imaginary/ axis has been found yvery desirable and advantageous in car construction for the reason that the greater portion of the side thrust developed when rounding curves at high speeds is absorbed or counteracted by 35 causing the body of the car to rotate about th'e imaginary axis instead of displacing the center of gravity to the extent caused by thev ordinary parallel swing hangers.

To the above purposes my invention consists, in certain novel features of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a simple construction for carrying out my invention, l designates a truck frame of ordinary or Well known construction,` 2 the spring plank, 3 the truck bolster, andv 4 the `usual elliptic springs which arefi'nterposed between the end portions of the spring plank andbolster.

The swing hangers 5 contemplated by my invention are preferably constructed of metal plates of right-angled triangle form, andv said hangers are arranged in pairs at the ends of the spring plank and bolster.. The upper end of eachhanger is supported by a pair of transversely disposed pivots 6, prcferably in the form of pins or bolts seated in lixed parts of the truck frame 1, and said pivot points being preferably in horizontal alinement. The hangers are provided in their upper portions with short curved slots 7 through which the bolts or pins pass and each of these slots is concentric with thel 95 pivot pin in the opposite slot. passing through the lower ends of the members of each pair of swing hangers is a pin vorbolt 8 u on lwhich bear-s the corresponding end of t 1e spring plank 2, Under normal'conditions, the pivots at the lower ends of the swing hangers, which pivots comprise the pins 'or bolts 8, are preferably located in direct vertical alinement with the outer ones of the pivotal points 6 at the upper ends of the swing hangers. In a truck thus constructed and under normal conditions, the hangers 5 bear upon the pivotal points 6 at the upper ends of said hangers with the load that is carried by the bolster and spring 110 'plank supported upon the lower bearings or pivotal points 8.

Designating the right hand hangers A and the left hand hangers B and assuming that the bolster under the influence of the car body swings toward the right or toward the hangers A, the weight of said load will be shifted onto the upper left hand bearings of both pairs of hangers. As this movement takes place, the lower ends of the hangers B in swinging toward the right hand will travel through the arc a--b Fig. 1, thereby rising only a slight degree; whereas the lower pivotal point or bearing 8 of the hangers will travel throughthe arc c--d with the left hand one of the pivotal points at the upper ends of thehangers A as the axis, thus rising to a considerably greater height than the lower ends of the hangers B which action is brought about' by the triangular arrangement of the bearings of .the hangers and the fact that the bearing or pivotal ppint 8 of the hangers A is considerably in j advance of the axis which is the left hand bearing or pivotal point6 of the hangers A. Thus the bolster 3 is tilted with the right hand end elevated,

and such action causes the car body to trave1 in a `curved path and at the same time to partially rotate abo t an imaginary center or axis. Should the weight of the car body tend to move the bolster 3 in the opposite direction or toward thehangers B on the left hand side of the truck, the movements. and actions just described will be reversed and as a result, the left hand end of the bolster will be elevated. However, before the bolster under the influence of the weight of the car body can move in either direction, sufficient force must be developed to overcome the normal resistance due to the triangular arrangement of the bearings or pivotal points of the swing hangers, and particularly the arrangement of the lower bearings 8 in vertical alinement 'with the outer ones of the pairs of upper bearings 6. Ordinary swing hangers in the form of parallel links require only a slight force to cause the car body t'o swing laterally, and where such action takes place, both sides of the car body are elevated equally and there is no rotary movement of the car body about an imaginary center. The triangular arrangement of the bearings or pivotal points of the swing hangers can be made so as to produce any desired degree of normal resistance, and thus it is possible to produce a truck which is practically rigid at low speeds and a swinging truck at highA speeds on curves. f

By virtue of my improved construction, it is possible for a car totake'a curve at a comparatively high degreeof speed and the side thrust ofthe load developed' in rounding the curve is counteracted and absorbed.

by causing the body ofthe car to rotate 'about an imaginary centerg` or axis.-

Various modifications of my Ainvention may be readily devised and made, and I, therefore, do not intend that my invention shall be limited in scope to the -speciio form or to the particular application herein shown and described, but that .it shall be construed to com rehend all obvious modifications and app ications.

I claim: i 1. In car ltruck construction, swing hangers each having three'points of pivotal connection, the same being arranged so as to cause said swing hangers to produce higlh initial resistance to lateral movement of` te l supported car body and. to cause said-'car body when moved laterally to travelin a curved path and to also rotate about an imaginary axis.

are each provided with three points of pivotal connection, the same being arranged to cause said swing hangers to resist normal Y lateral thrusts of the car body supported by the bolster and to elevate one end of theA bolster in advance of the other when abnor-' mal transverse thrusts of the supported car body are transmitted to the bolster.

3. In truck construction, a

provided with three pointsof pivotal connection, the same being arranged so as to cause said swing hangers to roduceinitial resistance to lateral thrusts o the supported ca-r body and to elevate one end ofthe bolster -n advance of the other when vsaid bolster, swing y hangers supporting the bolster from the truck frame,`which swing hangers are each y bolster is moved transversely with respectl to the 'truck frame.

4. In truck construction, a truck frame, a bolster, swing hangers for supporting the bolster from the .truck frame, each of which swing hangers has three points of pivotal connection, the lowermost pointof pivotal i connection being substantially in vertical alinement with the outer one of the two upper points of pivotal connection.

5. In truck construction, a truck frame, a bolster, swing hangers supporting the bolster from the truck frame, which swing hangers have three points of pivotal connection, two of which are normally" in substantial vert-ical alinement.

6. In truck construction, a truck iframe. swing hangers, each having three points of pivotal connection with the truck frame, a spring plank carried by said swing hangers,

swing hangers and the truck frame, and a I the points of pivotal connection between said y isc s 2. In a car truck, a truck framefa holsters,

swing hangers for supporting the bolster,

from thejtruck frame, which swing hangersy boster yieldingly supported on the spring plank.

7. In car construction, a car truck, swing hangers, and a bolster supported by said swing hangers, which swing hangers are each provided with three points of pivotal connection arranged so as to produce high initial resistance to lateral thrust of the supported oar body and to cause the said car body to traverse a curved path and to rotate 10 about an imaginary axis.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alx my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 24th day of December, 1912.

CHARLES T. WESTLAKE.

Witnesses:

HAL C. BELLVILLE, FRED H. BLANKENHORN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

